Dancehall’s stereotypes are bad for business, says Supa Hype

Vulgar lyrics and in-your-face characters aside, dancehall is hardly appreciated for what it really is, which, according to Supa Hype, is "a music that brings people together and helps build community".

Instead, according to the disc jockey turned producer, it has been stigmatised as a troublemaker, with music that fights against classism and motivates violent behaviour.

"The higher forces are the ones stereotyping dancehall, and when people begin to do that locally, it extends to the entire world. And then the corporate world here will see that and want to pull back, making it bad for business," Supa Hype told THE STAR.

All that is happening now within the dancehall community, from having to revisit the Noise Abatement Act to the locking off of events and targeting of artistes, Supa Hype describes as a bitter result developing from the stereotype that dancehall has acquired.

He said, "It's not too late to change the stigma attached, and I agree that we need to structure dancehall to influence that change, but not many believe in it. A lot of good has come out of dancehall, and it is distressing that at a period when more and more persons are investing in it, including one of our own greats, Usain Bolt, that people are blaming dancehall for a percentage of the violence and crime."

Supa Hype says he has been confronted several times for simply acting as an advocate for the genre and accused Jamaica's lawmen of working with 'badness'.

"Not because dancehall is hardcore music it means the approach taken should be the same. Our understanding is that police and soldiers are here to serve and protect. It shouldn't be that when they come into an event to close it down, their first advance is, 'Yo, bwoy, lock off dis' and wanting to take away my laptop; the response will always be negative after that," he said. "One thing for sure is that we know the usefulness of showing respect in the dancehall community. We are not hooligans or animals, so speak to us like humans with respect. If you don't give it, you don't get it."

COMMUNITY FOCUS

He expressed that the focus should be on the actual communities, having more police present in the communities, as well as the events, and the continuous education of the people so that they know how to interpret the music.

He believes it will also help to change the negative stigma placed on dancehall.

"Once the people are comfortable with them moving like bullies or being bullied, it will continue to create a bad energy. That's not a fault of dancehall; that's just a bad relationship between the lawmen and people. Dancehall can actually act as a remedy for this, starting with how they engage with the people in a dance," he said.